The Cost of Not Deciding
by A Thing For Brothers
Summary: Here are my predictions for the season finale. I also added a scene with Don and Charlie that I do NOT predict will be in the episode, but, a girl can dream. Here's hoping I'm right in the Don/Charlie scene... but wrong with the last prediction!


**So after last week's episode, I decided it was time to lay my predictions out on the table, and add some more to the episode. I have some predictions for the season finale this Friday, so I figured I might as well put them in print so if I'm right I can have a good, "I told you so!" moment. LOL Also, I'm with FraidyCat on figuring we won't get a nice bridge between the episodes. So, here is my addition to last week's ending and two prediction scenes for the season finale.**

**As always, I own nothing. The title of this story comes from the episode Fifth Man, from my least favorite Alan scene. Possible spoilers for Greatest Hits and Angels and Demons. And dedicated to my lovely friend Clara Bren, to keep her occupied during her down time and to keep her satisfied until my latest installment of Cry Because It Happened. LOL Love you, girl!**

Don was walking toward his car, barely three feet away, when he heard the screams. He immediately reached for the gun at his side and took off running. As he neared, he recognized the voice as Amita's... and she was screaming for Charlie.

Every worst possible scenario went through Don's head. He heard Amita's screams, high-pitched and full of fear. He thought he heard the squeal of tires on the pavement, but he may have mistaken the sound with one of Amita's cries. Don rounded the corner, running as fast as his injured body would allow. He saw the car first. Then he saw the two masked men getting in the car, the headlights, and then his brother.

Charlie was lying on the sidewalk, barely moving. The thought of his brother lying there, hurt, was enough to momentarily distract Don. He quickly got his mind refocused and fired a shot at the car's tires. He couldn't risk shooting Amita by aiming at the passengers, so he aimed low. Before a second shot could be fired, the passengers in the car stuck a gun out the window and backed away from the brothers. When the gun was pointed outside the window, Don ran to his brother and blocked Charlie's body with his own. He fired back, but the car quickly sped off and was out of sight. When he knew it was safe, Don turned around and faced his brother.

"Charlie! Are you okay? Look at me, Buddy," Don ordered as Charlie's eyes wandered.

"Amita... They took Amita!" Charlie cried desperately as he tried to sit up. He had to get to her! He managed to get to knees when he weaved dizzily and only came crashing down on the sidewalk again. Don reached out and caught him, steadying him.

"Easy, Charlie. We'll get her back." Don held his brother down to get him to lay still as he took out his cell phone. He called David and ordered a CSU and for him to gather the team together. When David heard why, he moved that much faster. Don also called in an ambulance for his brother.

"Don! You have to save her. Amita..."

"I know. It'll be okay, you'll see. The team is already on their way. We'll get her back in no time. Don't worry."

"Amita," Charlie whispered drowsily as he fought to remain conscious. He closed his eyes sleepily and Don took the opportunity to inspect his injury further. Don used his sleeve to wipe away the blood trickling down Charlie's face and into his eyebrows. He found the source of the bleed and took off his jacket as he saw that Charlie would no doubt need stitches. He positioned the jacket so that part of it was cushioning Charlie's head while part of it was clotting the bleeding wound.

"Who did this to you?" Don asked, not really expecting an answer from his brother.

"Two men, in masks... They hit me, then took Amita. They took her, Don. Why would they do that?"

"I don't know, Buddy, but we're going to find out."

Charlie nodded in understanding. He winced as the sounds of sirens neared. The noises did nothing for his throbbing head. Why did his head hurt so much? Oh, right. Someone took Amita.

"Don, make the noise stop." Charlie closed his eyes tightly, wincing in pain.

"I'll be right back, Charlie." Don stood and met his team. Everyone was there except Liz. He offered no smile to his team, no exchange of pleasantries. He motioned for them to follow him, and he pointed to certain spots as he talked.

"Charlie was attacked here." Don pointed toward his brother. "Amita was taken by two men in masks, or so we assume. We know they are armed because they opened fire on us."

"Was anyone hit?" Colby asked.

"No, we're fine. Charlie got hit in the head, and Amita was taken, unharmed."

Don gave his team a description of the car and what he made out of the license plate. By the time he had them caught up, the ambulance had arrived. Don jogged up to the approaching vehicle and led them to his brother. Charlie was taken on a stretcher and placed in the back of the ambulance. Don promised to follow behind. On the way to the hospital, Don called Alan and they met up in the waiting room. Charlie was later released that night after having four stitches in his head and being diagnosed with a concussion.

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**Note: Here is one of my prediction scenes for the season finale.**

Don and his team were working diligently to find Amita. Charlie had done more than his fair share of work, considering he was supposed to be on bed rest due to his head injury. Charlie had ignored all medical suggestions and had been working nonstop since the morning after he'd been attacked. He tried to remember every little detail he could, tried to work every angle, and struggled with the possibility that Amita had been kidnapped because of him.

Don was coming over to check on his brother in the garage. Charlie was closely mimicking his P vs. NP days and Don wondered if this was what he had missed while he had been unconscious after his recent stabbing. Charlie was working furiously at the chalkboard. Then he'd go back to his laptop and put in more information, then would move back to a different chalkboard and back again. Don thought it an odd pattern for a man who could find paths and predictabilities where no one else could. Though it appeared random to Don, he knew that there was some method to his brother's madness.

"Hey, Chuck. How's it going?"

Charlie barely looked up at his brother's greeting. "It's fine. Do you have any more information for me?"

"No, I'm sorry, Buddy. We're all doing our best, though."

Charlie squinted his eyes at his brother, pausing in writing a moment. "Like I don't know what that means?" Charlie heaved a sigh. Did Don think he had just started working for him? He knew what phrases like that meant. It meant they were doing the best they could, but that was all. There was no new hope, no new developments.

"You win. I guess I forget some times it's been five years since you started working with me. Hard to believe isn't it?"

Charlie nodded, his back to his brother as he scribbled on the chalkboard. "Yeah, I guess so."

Don watched his brother, concern filling his eyes. He looked around the room, reading the story of Charlie's past few days. He saw that their father had brought him several meals that went untouched. He saw that Charlie had even changed in the garage, judging by the pile of clothes in a heap in the corner by the door. Chalk stained Charlie's clothes now, and Don guess he hadn't changed that recently. Then again, it was hard to tell with Charlie. He saw an oddly familiar looking manilla folder and walked toward it.

"What's this folder? We didn't give you this one." Don frowned as he picked up the folder and opened it up.

"It's my resignation," Charlie said offhandedly.

Don felt a moment of fear as he thought Charlie meant from the FBI. After last year's fiasco with Charlie losing his clearance, Don didn't want to have to face losing his brother again. He needed that connection with his brother, or they would surely be lost again. As he opened the folder, however, he saw that Charlie was resigning from CalSci.

"Charlie? What is this? You're resigning from CalSci? But you love to teach!"

Charlie gritted his teeth in annoyance. Shouldn't Don be working? "I've recently felt that I've been torn between working at CalSci and working for the FBI. The FBI won out in my decision."

"Charlie, if I've been putting too much work on you, all you had to do was say the word."

"No, Don. It's not that," Charlie said pointedly, his anger rising.

"This has been your dream! How could you just resign? You can always do both. If you need time off, just say so and it's done."

Charlie angrily grunted as he knocked over the chalkboard he was working at. He spun toward his brother, shouting.

"Don't you get it? YOU are my priority now, understand? CalSci, my emergence work, it's just gotten in my way! And who has had to pay for that? You and Amita! If I had spent more time working for you, then you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I got you stabbed and now Amita was taken from me. I can't risk something more happening just because I can't decide between my work and yours. Now, it's _our_ work, Don. I'm done watching the people I love suffer for my mistakes."

Charlie turned away from his brother. He bent and picked up the fallen chalkboard. He lifted the chalk back up and began writing again, right where he left off.

"Charlie, none of this was your fault. You can't control the world. My team and I made a bad decision. We weren't prepared when we took them on. We were outnumbered. And Amita was not taken because of anything you did. You had just gotten done working your ass off for me. How could you have done anything different? Charlie, you don't have to do this. This was your dream. You've always wanted to be a teacher."

"No, Mom and Dad have always wanted me to be a teacher! My whole damn life has been planned for me. I'm sick of it! They knew what schools I was going to, gave me everything I could possibly want, without ever asking if it was what I wanted! For once in my life, I want to be able to make my own decision. You and Amita getting hurt was the cost of me not deciding sooner. Well, now I'm deciding, and I choose the FBI. I could save more lives and catch more criminals by devoting all my time to the FBI. My cognitive emergence work isn't going anywhere, and there are plenty of good teachers at CalSci who can prepare the next generation of math robots," Charlie scoffed at the idea.

"Are you saying that you weren't happy? That Mom and Dad did everything for you and it was all for nothing?" What Charlie said angered Don. Charlie had had everything he could ever need or want. He had no room to complain. Charlie had every advantage growing up. He had no need to be ungrateful.

Charlie's shoulders slumped. "No, I was... I just... I'm tired, Don. I'm tired of people making decisions for me. Dad, Mom, Larry, Amita, YOU. I need to be my own person and do things my way. I can't keep letting you guys run my life."

"Charlie, if I ever put any sort of pressure on you, you know I didn't-"

"I know. None of you meant to. I just... I liked it while it lasted. But it's run its course and it's time to do things my way."

Don nodded. "If you're sure you're doing this for the right reason. It should have nothing to do with me and Amita because that was in no way your fault. Understand?"

Charlie nodded, but he was just lying. His father had so much as told him, confirmed what he already believed. It was all his fault. If he had spent less time on his cognitive emergence work, Don never would have gotten stabbed. If he had put more effort into the case, he would have been able to tell Don and his team more, and they would have been better prepared. Amita was brought into this world because of Charlie. He couldn't let her suffer for his mistakes any longer. He just needed to get her back.

Don watched his brother work for a moment, knowing how hurt and scared he must be. His eyes filled with the concern he felt until he was sure it was streaming down his face like tears. Don noted the scraggly growth of facial hair on Charlie's face, noted the dark circles under Charlie's eyes. From what his father had told him, Charlie had been worse with Don's injury. Don could hardly imagine, but the idea oddly comforted him.

Don walked up to his brother and lightly touched Charlie's arm. Charlie flinched away, startled because he was already deep in his work again.

"Why don't you and I go get a bite to eat?" Don offered, grasping Charlie's arm to try to pull his brother away.

"No! I have to keep working! We have to find her, Don! She could be dead right now and it's..." Charlie stopped and pulled out of his brother's grasp. He turned away from his brother as he covered his mouth with his hand, stifling a cry. He was about to say, "It's all my fault" but the words couldn't come. He couldn't think of Amita like that. Not his Amita. He couldn't let her die, which was why he had to keep working. Charlie cleared his throat gruffly and turned back to his chalkboard.

Don's mouth hung open, unsure of what to say, as he watched his brother get a hold on his emotions. When Charlie returned to the board, Don gently grasped Charlie's left hand. For a moment, Charlie paused in his writing to stare at his brother. The desperation was in Charlie's tired eyes as he looked into his older brother's.

"We're going to get her. I promise. It's going to be okay."

Charlie nodded in understanding. He swallowed hard as he looked around the room wildly, trying to find the right words to say. He wanted to tell his brother how sorry he was for letting him get hurt. He wanted to tell his brother that he loved him, that he never once regretted working for him. He wanted to tell Don he trusted him to take care of Amita, but the words never came.

"Please, just... find her, Don." Charlie managed to give his brother's hand a squeeze before he walked away from Don and back to his laptop.

Don nodded. "I'll do my best."

Don understood that he was being dismissed. He turned and walked to the door to the garage before he turned back around. He watched his brother a moment, sorry that his brother had to be put through this. He could only imagine what he would be like if Robin were ever taken. He knew he would be pushing Charlie to do all he could, so he left so he could push himself for Charlie. For Amita.

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**Note: Here is the last prediction scene that's supposed to come at the end of the episode when we're unfortunate enough to have Amita back safely. Bleh! LOL You know they won't let her get killed off!**

Charlie was holding Amita in his arms. He had her safely back for a day now and he still couldn't keep her out of his sights. He couldn't run the risk of her getting hurt again or let her be taken from him. He needed her. He knew that now more than ever. Amita was safely cradled in his arms, fast asleep. Charlie had barely slept the night before, having woken every couple hours fearing that he had dreamt the whole thing and she was still gone. He had to keep reassuring himself that she was safe with him again.

Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, he laid her down on the pillows and let her sleep a while longer. He moved to his drawer and opened it up. He picked up the small object he had kept hidden for so long now, unsure of the right time of place. He couldn't imagine another moment without making it official, but he waited and sat by Amita's side until she awoke.

"Hey," Amita said sleepily a while later as her eyes opened to see Charlie's face smiling down at her.

"Hey yourself." Charlie leaned down and softly kissed Amita's lips. She sleepily responded as she slowly woke up. She finally sat up and ran her fingers through her hair.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Almost ten o'clock."

"I slept that long?" she exclaimed.

Charlie smiled. "I think you needed it."

Amita laughed softly. "I guess so."

Amita stood and went to Charlie's dresser to brush her hair. While she was turned from him, he moved over to where she was standing and got down on one knee. Amita turned at his movement, and gasped when she saw his position.

"Amita, these past few days have shown me that I can't live without you. I don't want to. You mean everything to me and I don't want to spend another minute of my life without knowing that you'll be my wife. I love you with all my heart and I am so sorry I let you get away from me before. I promise you I won't let that happen again, if you only say yes... Amita Ramanujan, will you marry me?"

Charlie opened the small black box to a beautiful diamond ring with a silver band, and waited for an answer.

**Apparently there's supposed to be a cliffhanger to the season finale, and, sadly, I'm guessing this is it. With a little luck, she'll say no, like an idiot. LOL I'm leaving this incomplete for now in case I have a post episode addition to add once we see how things play out. And if I'm right, I gotta get my "I told you so" in. LOL Thanks for reading. As always, this is fiction, and just my predictions for the season finale. I really hope I'm wrong with the last scene! The other two, I'm good with. LOL**


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